Wolverine spotted in California is only the second in 100 years

June 5 (UPI) -- Wildlife officials in California said a wolverine spotted on multiple recent occasions is only the second of its species to be seen in the state in the past 100 years.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the wolverine was seen twice in the Inyo National Forest and once in Yosemite National Park. All of the sightings occurred in May, the department said.

A wolverine was previously spotted in 2008 in the Truckee region of the Tahoe National Forest, and the animal was spotted on multiple subsequent occasions through 2018.

The recent sightings are believed to be a different wolverine from the earlier sightings due to the typical 12-to-13-year lifespans of the animals in the wild.

The previous wolverine sightings in California were in the early 1920s.

"Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal," CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Gammons said in the news release. "Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California during the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting."